Research and help needed

Posted by Authorsue on 6/16/2016 at 9:10 AM

My apologies if this isn't quite the right forum to pose this question in but I'm not sure where else to go for answers. I'm an author writing a book about a visually impaired man, with a view to taking this story to film. So I want to get this right. If anyone can answer any questions or help me, I'm happy to credit the forum or donate a suitable amount to a charity to benefit blindness. Is 'blind' the correct word even? I'm the UK btw but the story is based in LA.
The story....
My chap, Nate, is in hospital. He’s suffered an occipital injury to both lobes, when he fell down a ditch (a car hit him when he was out jogging) and Nate hit the back of his head on a rock. He’s in hospital, recovering from other physical injuries and the gash on the back of his head. He wakes up, can’t see. Along comes the doctor. All he can tell him is that it has affected his vision, they need to do tests etc. that there is the possibility of blindness.
Nate zones out, decides to go back to sleep because he can’t cope. Then he wakes up and the fun begins. His physical injuries are not bad, so a) would they keep him in hospital because he’s blind, b) send him home after seeing an ophthalmologist, give him out-patient treatment, schedule his therapy? It’s this bit I need help with. The typical progress of a man who is blinded recovering and then coming out of hospital. Once I’m over that, and know what kind of after-care he’ll get and what he has to do to make sure he becomes fully functioning again as best as he can, I’ll be fine.
Also, I wasn’t sure whether you get levels of blindness from an injury like this, I’m still researching that bit. This isn’t a story about a man getting his sight back- Nate will always be blind. However, it looks as if with cortical blindness due to trauma like this, he can see light/dark and possibly shapes. The pupils will react to light etc. I need to be as clear in this as I don’t want to misrepresent anything.
Any help anyone can give would be so very appreciated.

Re: Research and help needed

Posted by Shannon Carollo (TVI, O&M) on 9/26/2016 at 11:12 AM

I think he would be sent home after seeing an ophthalmologist. His eyes would likely react normally, as his issue is in his brain. He would have a brain based visual impairment (also known as CVI--cortical visual impairment). His vision may fluctuate; he would receive services from a local agency such as a Lighthouse for the Blind. He would learn to function at home and at work without vision.

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